Wake To Your Life
Horton, Michigan
photography
Abandoned Farm Field
Caught this in an abandoned farm field, along Michigan’s stretch of US-12, before winter really hit in our area.
The sunset was lovely that night, just after Christmas, and there was lots of exploring to do. More on that later.
Reader Question on Style
Hello Dave. I just recently created an account on Tumblr and stumbling through different photography blogs I’ve noticed that many people post pictures that have a certain style to them, one I haven’t really seen before. The style I would be referring to I noticed in your pictures “Sunrise on the Mill Pond – Concord, Michigan” and “Catching the Dew – Albion, Michigan”. I was just curious as to how you achieve this look, if it is achieved through Ps or Lr, or if it depends on the type of camera.
Those two (catching dew, and the sunrise photo) are two of my favs from the fall, and really a product of the right time of year, the right sunrises, and a healthy dose of custom VSCO editing in Lightroom. The macro lens helped, too, to really get in there and capture the details on the dew shot. And don’t quote me, but I think I used VSCO Film 03 for both. Thanks!
Inspired So Much
Dave,your cemetery photographs are terrific. Im abt to go out and take some photographs myself and im inspired so much! Thankyou!
You’re so welcome. My shots come from two time periods: this past fall, and the winter of 2011 during a magical sunset, grabbing photos while knee-deep in snow. Worth it!
Enjoy your shoot.
Photographers Directory
I’m an amateur photographer based in Jackson, Michigan, who does some pro work on the side, sticking to mainly nature, abandoned sites, and street landscape photography. Capturing light, shadows, seasons, colors — this is my bread and butter. But I don’t shoot bread and butter; others can do the food photography thing.
The platform and tools matter, but only a little. I shoot Canon (DSLR and the M mirrorless) and Fujifilm, with some iPhone and 35mm film thrown in here and there.
I take on personal projects, like old guys who collect model trains, or local abandoned theme parks, or mottled light in dark woods, when a brainstorm strikes. And I use my blog to share my work, not others’ (mostly).
All of my photo work is on Flickr, and I share the best on my blog, natch.
Thanks, Photographers Directory!
Pure, Bright Color
Sometimes, the best thing to photograph is pure, bright color – as was the case at this abandoned restaurant in Austin, Texas.
Creating Lightroom Presets
Messed around making my own Lightroom preset, after seeing these images from the Kage Collective.
I’m not into the whole matte black, faux-film look so much, but there is a trendy appeal to it. And I’m usually Mr. Bright Colors guy, but something a little more soft and restrained is good for variety. I made a black and white version, too, just for fun.
This isn’t all that different from the stuff you see sold for $20-50 a pop nowadays. But dig in to a preset you like and you’ll learn enough to be dangerous, and start making your own.
Strong vignettes FTW!
Difficult to Tell
There is such a huge amount of brilliant photography coming from all corners of the world that when I glance through highlights on VSCO, flickr, or Instagram It has become difficult to tell the difference between photographers.
All The Things – 50 Foot Shadows
Agreed. There’s so much good stuff out there, it’s all blurring together. Great portraits, great landscape shots of the Pacific Northwest, great shots of guys with beards in flannel at a bonfire living out of their car.
Lately, I’ve started to follow more photographers focusing on unique portraits, conceptual work, and urban landscapes. For this year, I want to try to find photographers who are not from New York / Portland / SanFran / etc. How about some more Midwestern shooters, or folks from the south?
If you have any follow suggestions, let me know.
Some Clean Up
An abandoned house down the road from me. Seems like the (eventual) new owners will have some clean up to do.
Gwinn Tree Farm
Tree Canon
Load ’em up.
Ready for delivery.
Red and green.
Merry Christmas, everyone, from Gwinn’s Tree Farm in Horton, Michigan.
Burr’ed
Did some exploring yesterday, and got covered in burs. Even my camera strap was festooned with little scratchy hangers-on.
It wasn’t from this photo, but a good reminder.
True to Your Roots
However I have discovered over time– the best photographic opportunities are in your own backyard (neighborhood, city, community) and staying true to your roots is really important. There are tons of photographic opportunities waiting to be shot where you already live.
City-Side View
Austin, Texas
Imagine a place like this in Michigan: a patio on the 2nd floor of the hotel, exposed to the elements. Crazy.
But in Austin, it’s possible – and a great idea.
